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The Tessen is an iron fan primarily wielded by Tasuki in Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play, Genrou Den, and the OVAs. It possesses magical powers and allows its user to conjure and control fire.

Background[]

"You will protect this mountain. The seal of the youkai cannot be released as long as the tessen carries your chi..."
—Mountain God, Genrou Den: Chapter 8

Many centuries ago, a demon called Dokoro settled on Mt. Reikaku. It was armed with the tessen, a powerful, fire-spewing fan of its own creation. The weapon had deterred all efforts to resettle the mountain and the Dokoro was left alone to terrorize travelers and prey on the citizens of Souun.[1]

Eventually, a nameless young man climbed Mt. Reikaku alone to face the demon without a weapon. The Dokoro attacked the man with the tessen and flames enveloped him. However, the fire did not burn him. His fearlessness had weakened the tessen's power against him.[1]

The young man advanced towards the demon as the flames subsided. Suddenly, the mountain began to shake violently and the mountain god of Mt. Reikaku emerged. He sealed the Dokoro inside the earth, vowing that as long as the tessen carried the man's chi, the seal could not be broken. The nameless man promised to protect the mountain and made the tessen his most prized possession. He then called together a band of men to protect the mountain. They would later be known as the Mt. Reikaku bandits.[1]

For 300 years, the magic fan has been passed down from leader to leader of the Mt. Reikaku bandits.[1] Only a person with a similar chi and disposition to the original leader can use its full power, and the bandits are inclined to follow the one who wields it. There have only been five owners of the tessen that have been mentioned or shown: Kieron, Dokoro, Hakurou, Tasuki, and Eiken.

Story[]

Genrou Den[]

In the light novel, a young Tasuki falls under the care and mentorship of Hakurou, the then-leader of the Mt. Reikaku bandits. He witnesses the power of the tessen and becomes enamored with the idea of taking command. Kouji shares this desire and the two compete to prove their merit.

Meanwhile, as Hakurou's health begins to fail him, he realizes, to his horror, that he has broken the Dokoro's seal. In private, he reflects on his failure and concludes that he has lost the "spirit" of the original leader. He hastily selects Tasuki and Kouji as viable candidates for the tessen's next user and pits them against each other to steal Mt. Kaou's treasure. Unbeknownst to the boys, the winner of this task will become the next leader of the Mt. Reikaku bandits.

As Hakurou's illness worsens, Tasuki volunteers to search for a cure. Ultimately, the bandit leader succumbs to his illness and, without the presence of his implied successor, a greedy bandit called Eiken steals the tessen and assumes command.

Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play[]

In the original series, Eiken remains in control of the bandits and terrorizes them with the tessen's powers. His men find Miaka, Hotohori, and Nuriko wandering the mountainside and wait as the trio triggers their boobytraps to kidnap them. In the bandit stronghold, Tasuki suddenly returns to claim his title, rescuing Miaka from Eiken in the process, but fails to retrieve the fan. He then leads a small-scale assault on the stronghold and finally secures the tessen. When he decides to pursue his destiny as a warrior, he leaves Kouji in command, taking the tessen to use along his journey.

When Miaka and the rest of the Celestial Warriors of Suzaku attempt to summon the Beast God and fail, Taiitsukun gives each warrior a Celestial Gift to aid in their upcoming journey to find the Shinzaho. For Tasuki, the tessen is transformed from an iron fan into a diamond one, amplifying its power and overall effectiveness.

Spells[]

  • Shinentasukitessen
    "Rekka Shien" - used to conjure up any amount of fire the wielder desires. Tasuki is shown to summon large flames for battle but also uses his fan to conduct heat (to warm up Nuriko in Hokkan) and to produce smaller flames (to burn Miaka's hair to sever the connection from her world and the book). 
  • "Hakurou En" - a specific flame spell named after the late leader of the Reikaku bandits. It translates to "Flames of the Spirit Wolf." Before the Tessen was passed down to Tasuki, this spell was most likely discovered by Hakurou during his last months alive.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fushigi Yuugi: Genrou Den, Chapter 8

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